But these are not normal circumstances and this is not a normal season.

For Iowa State anyway.

On Dec. 8, I was on hand at Hilton Coliseum at Ames when the Cyclones were thrashed, 78-53, by an Iowa team that then was ranked 12^th nationally. A week later, I was present at the Knapp Center in Des Moines when they were handled rather easily by Drake, 72-58.

There is no pretty way to say it: In December, the Cyclones were not a very good basketball team.

However, they’ve made considerable progress since. I saw them upset Missouri, 71-67, in early-January. But not always does progress produce victories. Since the Missouri game, Iowa State has lost four straight times—the most recent an emotional, well-played 88-81 decision Wednesday night to No. 2-ranked Kansas.

Unless Larry Eustachy’s team could somehow win the Big 12 postseason tournament and get an automatic bid—something that’s not likely to happen—this will be only the fourth time in 11 years that an Iowa State squad has not been in the NCAA tournament.

The old consolation prize.

The Little Dance.

The old tournament that’s about as popular as fat people in a singles bar.

The old tournament that sometimes not even the players want to be in.

The old tournament that the fans don’t really want to see.

But keep the laughing down, please. This is the year when the NIT should sound pretty good to Eustachy and his players. Oh, I know, the chances of getting there aren’t good. Lots of strange things would have to happen for Iowa State to be picked for the NIT.

The Cyclones would somehow need to finish at least one game above .500. With a 9-11 record now, that’s going to take some doing. There are a few teams in the U.S. that maybe could get into the tournament with a .500 record, but Iowa State isn’t one of them.

Coach Johnny Orr’s 1993-94 team wasn’t picked for the NIT when it finished 14-13. That was after Orr’s two previous teams went to the NCAA. Iowa State officials even appealed to the NIT selection committee that 1993-94 was Orr’s last season as coach, but that made no difference. Johnny retired and his players went on spring break.

Tim Floyd, Orr’s successor, took his first three Iowa State teams to the NCAA before going 12-18 in his final season. Then he was off to the Chicago Bulls. Two of Eustachy’s first three Cyclone teams have gone to the Big Dance.

Iowa State’s basketball profile nationally is much larger now than it was 10 or 12 years ago, so I think a record as 17-16 could get the Cyclones into the NIT this season.

But reaching that plateau is going to be difficult.

Nothing comes easy for this Iowa State team. The Cyclones, who are a couple of players away from being pretty good, are 1-5 in the Big 12 and 0-5 on the road.They let too many games slip away late. A classic example was the loss to Kansas.

Had they won, they’d be 10-10 overall, 2-4 in the Big 12 and they’d own a victory over a premier team that includes standout Iowans Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich and a junior who will likely be earning big money in the NBA at this time next season—Drew Gooden.

A defeat would not only be their fifth in succession, but leave them with a 9-12 record with only nine regular-season games and the Big 12 tournament remaining. Five home games remain—against Texas A&M, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas State and Texas. I think they’ll win them all.

Yes, even the Texas game. Don’t forget, the Longhorns lost at home Wednesday night to Texas A&M.

Iowa State’s remaining road games after Saturday are at Texas Tech, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. If you can find one team in that group that the Cyclones can beat away from Hilton Coliseum, line up for your all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas.

Here’s how I have it figured: Iowa State wins at Nebraska and beats Texas A&M next Tuesday at Ames to go to 11-11. The Cyclones lose at Texas Tech and Missouri to go to 11-13. They beat Colorado and Nebraska, so they’re 13-13. They lose at Kansas, beat Kansas State, lose at Oklahoma and beat Texas.

They’re 15-15 going to the Big 12 tournament. They win their first two games in the tournament, but lose their third. They’re 17-16 and nervous.

It’s March 10. Selection Sunday. Iowa State’s players, coaches and fans watch the NCAA selection show on TV But, of course, the Cyclones are not chosen. Then they await their NIT fate later in the night. More nervousness.

Finally, a guy from the NIT calls to say, "Hey, Eustachy did an outstanding job with a team that has very little talent. They have pretty good crowds at Hilton Coliseum, so let’s give them a first-round game there.’’

It was unsettling to me to hear many in the crowd of 12,771 boo Collison and Hinrich when they were introduced prior to the start of the Iowa State-Kansas game.

Iowans should be better than that. Collison and Hinrich made their decisions to leave Iowa and attend Kansas and, sure, fans from this state were disappointed with those decisions.

But these talented guys are juniors now, and the booing is getting old. After the game, Hinrich and Collison didn’t talk about the booing and spoke only in positive terms—saying what a relief it was to finally win at Hilton Coliseum.

How about that acrobatic slam-dunk Gooden made for Kansas? It was a thing of beauty.

Even if he hadn’t taken five steps before going into his routine—without being called for traveling—it would have been a thing of beauty.

Not so beautiful to Iowa State fans was what Gooden did at the end of the game. He slammed the ball on the Hilton Coliseum floor, providing what he thought was an exclamation point to the victory.

The idea, Gooden said, wasn’t original.

"That was payback, revenge,’’ Gooden told the Kansas City Star. "It was my turn to do it. I wanted to slam the ball on their court. It felt good to get all the frustrations of losing out.’’

Gooden said he thought either Marcus Fizer or Jamaal Tinsley (who now play in the NBA) did the same thing he did two years ago when Iowa State won at Kansas. The Cyclones had won five consecutive games in the series.

By the way, it took a while, but someone finally straightened out TV announcer Fred White about Drew Gooden’s real first name.

You wonder what it takes to attract a capacity crowd of 14,092 for an Iowa State game at Hilton Coliseum.

"Alive in Clive’’ (not his real name) shares some observations about Iowa’s basketball team. I can’t say if any of these things are true. I’m just passing ‘em along.

Quarterback Kurt Warner, after living a full life, died.

When he got to heaven, God started showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded Rams flag in the window.

"This house is yours for eternity, Curt,’’ said God.

"This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here.’’

Kurt felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house.

On his way up the porch, he noticed another house just around the corner.

It was a three-story mansion with a green and gold sidewalk, a 50-foot tall flagpole with an enormous Packers flag and, in every window, a big yellow helmet with a "G.’’

Kurt looked at God and said, "God, I’m not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question.

"I was an all-pro quarterback, I won a Super Bowl and I even went to the Hall of Fame.’’

God said, "So, what do you want to know, Kurt?’’

"Well, why does Brett Favre get a much better house than me?’’ Warner asked.

God chuckled and said, "Curt, that’s not Brett Favre’s house. It’s mine’’